21 September 2010

Atlanta Double Murders: No Arrests; Police Provide Updates on Cases

There are few developments to report in the gruesome Atlanta double murders that happened on September 5. And while there have been no arrests and the killer remains at large, the police are providing some details on the case.

Twenty-one-year-old Samuel Blizzard Jr. and 26-year-old Calvin Streater were shot execution-style
in a Southeast Atlanta apartment. Streater was raised in North Carolina
and lived in Atlanta. Blizzard was a Georgia State University student
from Virginia. The victims attended Black Gay Pride events over the weekend, police say.

“With the first victim [Blizzard], based on body position, he was not under duress, he didn’t know it was coming,” Meadows said.Some of the witnesses questioned said they had seen one of the
victims, Streater, at Black Gay Pride with someone they didn’t know.
Meadows said some information can’t be disclosed right now as the
investigation continues and leads are tracked down. He did say the
victims were not robbed after they were killed.

Police are not even sure if the two men were gay, but Streater was
seen at Black Gay Pride the day before. Meadows did not know where at
Black Gay Pride the victim was.The fact at least one victim was at Black Gay Pride may not play any
role in the killings, but all possibilities have to be eliminated,
Meadows said.“Their sexual orientation and the actual murders themselves — at this
point it appears to be a non-issue for us. We have to eliminate
possibilities. Everything they did that day will play a role [in solving
the case],” he said.

The Blizzard and Streater murders were the second and third homicides
with a connection to Atlanta's Black gay community within a ten day period.
Traxx co-owner Durand Robinson was gunned down in an apparent carjacking on August 25. Detectives say they are looking "at all possible motives for the shooting" and do not believe there was any connection to the double murders. Major Keith Meadows tells GAVoice that police have strong leads on the Robinson case and believe it had nothing to do with Robinson's perceived sexuality or connection to the community.